Apparatus for applying filter tips to cigarettes



Sept. 15, 1964 l. 1-. BROWN I ETAL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FILTER TIPS TOCIGARETTES Filed June 7, 1962 II II III ,9 23 1 23 II INVENTORS: ISAACT. BROWN HERBERT F. ADEBAHR THElR ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,148,683 APPARATUS FOR AFPLYHNG FILTER TIPS T0 CIGARETTES Isaac T.Brown, Gibsonvilie, and Herbert F. Adebahr, Greensboro, N.C., assignorsto P. Lorillard Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New JerseyFiled June 7, 1962, Ser. No. 200,691 3 Claims. (Cl. 13194) Thisinvention relates to the manufacture of cigarettes and, moreparticularly, to apparatus for attaching filter tips to cigarettes.

Apparatus is currently used in the manufacture of cigarettes whichsupplies filter tip material in lengths equal to a plurality of filtertips, for example, six filter tips. The lengths of filter tip materialare cut into shorter lengths equal in length to two filter tips and theshorter lengths of filter tip material are assembled between and inalignment with two cigarettes which are cut from a continuously formedcigarette rod. A short strip of gummed or adhesive coated tipping paperis adhered to the filter tip and the adjacent ends of the cigarettes andthis assembly is introduced into a wrapping drum. Hinged plates orfingers on the wrapping drum fold the strip of tipping paper around thedouble filter tip and the adjacent ends of the cigarettes to form adouble cigarette and filter unit which is cut through the middle of thefilter to form two separate filter tip cigarettes.

The drum for folding or wrapping the tipping paper around the filtermember and the cigarette includes cams, springs and the like foroperating the folding fingers or plates and is ditficult to adjust andmaintain in proper operating condition. Even when the wrapping device isadjusted accurately, a good union or adhesion is not always obtainedbetween the overlapped ends of the strips of tipping paper with theresult that imperfect cigarettes frequently are made.

In accordance with the present invention, a new and simplified wrappingdevice is provided which is interchangeable with the wrapping drum ofprior machines and which wraps the tipping paper with consistentuniformity and precision around the tip and the adjacent cigarettes andat the same time shaping the cigarettes to a uniform cylindrical form.

More particularly, in accordance with the present invention, the newwrapping device includes a drum which is provided with a plurality ofgroups of freely rotatable rollers, each group forming a pocket forreceiving a double length filter, adjacent cigarettes and a strip oftipping paper adhered thereto and friction means disposed around theperiphery of the drum which engages the cigarettes and the filter androlls them around their axis as a unit thereby wrapping the tippingpaper around the cigarettes and interposed double length tip. During therolling operation, the ends of the tipping paper are overlapped andpressed together and further the rolling operation tends to eliminateany irregularities in the crosssection of the filter and cigarettesthereby producing uniformly cylindrical cigarettes. After wrapping, thefilter is severed at its middle to form two cigarettes each having afilter tip attached thereto.

The new wrapping device requires no adjustment of any means for wrappingthe tipping paper around the filter-cigarette assembly. The movement ofthe drum relative to the friction members, for example, flexible belts,is sufficient to cause rolling of the cigarettes and filter and wrappingof the tipping paper around them. The new wrapping device need only betimed to receive cigarette-filter units in the roller pockets thereofand such timing can be obtained by driving the wrapping drum by means ofappropriate gearing or the like.

For a better understanding of the present invention reference may be hadto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic illustration of the steps of assemblingcigarettes and a filter tip plug and wrapping the plug and cigarettesand separating the unit produced thereby into two cigarettes;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic side elevational view of a typical machine forattaching filter tips to cigarettes including a filter tip wrappingdevice of the type embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the new form of wrapping deviceembodying the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

The present invention will be described in relation to a commerciallyavailable machine for applying filter tips to cigarettes. Referring toFIGURE 2, filter tip rods of a length equal to, for example, six filtertips, are supplied from a hopper It) to a feed roll 11 provided withgrooves 12 extending lengthwise thereof adapted to receive the lengthsof the filter' tip material. The filter rods are moved past gangrotating cutters 13 which cut the lengths into three sections each equalin length to two filter tips and discharges the cut sections into atransfer roller 14 also provided with lengthwise grooves. From thetransfer roller 14, the filter sections are transferred to a separatingand aligning drum 15 where the axially aligned sections are moved firstinto an echeloned relation and then shifted into a row in which theseveral filter sections are supplied one by one to about the middles ofthe peripheral grooves 16 of an assembly drum 17. Pairs of cigarettesare also introduced into each groove 16 from a cigarette feeding device18 so that as shown at 1A of FIGURE 1, the double filter plug 19 isdisposed between two cigarettes 2i) and 21.

By means of suitable plungers, the cigarettes 20 and 21 are pushedendwise into engagement with the filter 19 as shown at 1B of FIGURE 1.The assembly is then discharged into the grooves in a transfer drum 22where a strip 23 of tipping paper is adhered thereto. The tipping paperP is supplied from a roll 24 and passes around feed rollers 25 and 25aand over a gumming roller (not shown) where adhesive is applied to oneside of the strip. A cutter (not shown) cuts tipping strips 23 from theleading end of the long strip of paper P as shown at 1C and each tippingstrip 23 is pressed against a filter 19 and the adjacent ends of thecigarettes 20 and 21 as shown at 1D in FIGURE 1. The assembly thusformed is transferred by the drum 22 to the wrapping device 26 embodyingthe present invention and, after wrapping of the tipping paper aroundthe filter 19 and the ends of the cigarettes 20 and 21 a unit like thatshown in IE is formed and is transferred to the discharge roller 27having a cutting knife 28 thereon which cuts the filter apart at itsmiddle and thereby forming two separate filter tip cigarettes which aredischarged onto the conveyor 29 for packaging.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a wrapping device 26 according to thepresent invention includes a hub 30 mounted on a shaft 31 which isdriven in timed relation to the rollers 22 and 27 of the machine. Fixedto the hub are end plates 32 and 33 of disc-like form. Extending betweenthe end plates 32 and 33 and rotatably mounted therein are a pluralityof groups of rods, each group having for example, three rods or rollers34, 35 and 36, and each group forming a pocket for receiving a filter 19and two cigarettes 20 and 21 having the wrapping strip 23 adhered at oneend thereto as shown at ID of FIG. 1. The hub, end plates and rods orrollers, form a drum-like member referred to hereinafter as a drum. Thearrangement of the groups of rollers around the periphery of the endplates 32 and 33 is such that successive cigarette and filter units (IDof FIG. 1) carried in the grooves of the drum 22 will be received in thesuccessive pockets formed by the groups of rollers. As shown in FIG. 4,the drum of the wrapping device 26 rotates in a counterclockwisedirection. In order to retain the cigarettes in the pockets formed bythe groups of rollers 34 to 36, a cage 37 is provided which is made upof arcuate bars 38, 39, 4t), 41 and 42 which extend around the majorportion of the periphery of the drum. To facilitate assembly of the cage37, the bars are divided at their mid-portions and welded to cross bars43 and 44 which are connected by means of bolts 45. Further, to maintainthe bars in spaced relation, other suitable transverse members 46 may beprovided.

In order to roll the strip 23 around the cigarettes and 21 and thefilter 19, friction means such as for example, the flexible belts 48 and49 are disposed around a portion of the periphery of the drum andbetween the cage bars 39, 4t) and 41. The belts are attached at theirlower ends to the removable cross pin 47 mounted in the bars 39, 4t) and41. Loops 50 and 51 formed of wire or the like engage the upper ends ofthe belts 48 and 49 and are secured to screw threaded adjusting members52 and 53 extending through cross bar 54 fixed to the arcuate bars 38 to42. Adjusting nuts 55 and 56 are provided to adjust the belts so thatthey lightly engage the inner ends of the cigarettes, the filter 19 andthe wrapping strip 23 in the opposing pockets and cause them to rotateas the drum turns in a counterclockwise direction. The freely rotatablerollers 34 to 36 permit free rotation of the cigarette-filter unit. Inthis way, the filter tipping strip 23 is rolled around and its gummed oradhesive coated surface is adhered to the filter 19 and to the adjacentends of the cigarettes 20 and 21 and the ends of the strip 23 areoverlapped and pressed firmly together. Moreover, the rotation of thecigarettes while supported by the rollers 34, 35 and 36 removes anyirregularities in the cross section of the cigarettes or filter andproduces neatly formed cylindrical products. The cigarette and filterunits shown at 1E of FIG. 1 are carried around to the discharge roller27 and the cutter 28 where each unit is divided at its center line toform two cigarettes, as described above.

With the wrapping device 26 described, it will be apparent that the onlytiming required for proper wrapping and attachment of filters to thecigarette is the timing of rotation of the drum of the Wrapping device26 with respect to the supply roller 22 and the discharge roller 27.This can be accomplished by suitable gearing or the like and once theproper timing has been established, no further adjustment is requiredexcept for occasional adjustment of the belts 43 and 4-9 to assure thatthey maintain the proper contact with the filter-cigarette assembly tocause them to rotate without substantial slippage.

It will be understood that the wrapping device of the present inventionis susceptible to changes in dimensions and in the structure andarrangement of the parts and it may be used in other types of machinesthan the tip attaching machine described herein.

Accordingly, the form of invention disclosed herein should be consideredas illustrative and not as limiting and that variations thereof fallwithin the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for attaching filter tips to cigarettes having means forassembling a pair of cigarettes and a filter plug in axial alignment,said filter plug being interposed between said cigarettes and adheringan end of a strip of tipping paper to said plug and the ends of saidcigarettes adjacent to said plug; a device for wrapping said striparound said plug and said ends of said cigarettes, comprising an endlessmovable member having a plurality of groups of substantially parallelrollers disposed around its periphery, means on said movable membersupporting said rollers of each group for substantially free relativerotation and in closely spaced relation to form a pocket for receivingand directly engaging a pair of aligned cigarettes and an interposedfilter plug, relatively fixed, flexible friction means engageable withsaid cigarettes and plug and means for moving said member relative tosaid friction means to rotate said cigarettes and plug and roll saidstrip around them.

2. The wrapping device set forth in claim 1 in which said endless membercomprises a drum and said friction means comprises at least one flexiblebelt adjacent and extending partially around said drum.

3. The wrapping device set forth in claim 2 comprising a fixed framehaving at least two spaced apart bars extending around a portion of saiddrum for retaining said cigarettes and plugs in said pockets duringrotation of said drum and means on said frame for supporting saidflexible belt between said bars and free of engagement therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,417,956 Varga May 30, 1922 2,165,144 Lubbock July 4-, 1939 2,786,472Creuzburg Mar. 26, 1957 2,809,640 Oldenkamp Oct. 15, 1957 2,857,722Smith Oct. 28, 1958 2,882,970 Schur Apr. 21, 1959 3,036,581 Dearsley May29, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 805,139 ermany May 7, 1951 872,629 GreatBritain July 12, 1961

1. IN APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING FILTER TIPS TO CIGARETTES HAVING MEANS FORASSEMBLING A PAIR OF CIGARETTES AND A FILTER PLUG IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT,SAID FILTER PLUG BEING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID CIGARETTES AND ADHERINGAN END OF A STRIP OF TIPPING PAPER TO SAID PLUG AND THE ENDS OF SAIDCIGARETTES ADJACENT TO SAID PLUG; A DEVICE FOR WRAPPING SAID STRIPAROUND SAID PLUG AND SAID ENDS OF SAID CIGARETTES, COMPRISING AN ENDLESSMOVABLE MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLELROLLERS DISPOSED AROUND ITS PERIPHERY, MEANS ON SAID MOVABLE MEMBERSUPPORTING SAID ROLLERS OF EACH GROUP FOR SUBSTANTIALLY FREE RELATIVEROTATION AND IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATION TO FORM A POCKET FOR RECEIVINGAND DIRECTLY ENGAGING A PAIR OF ALIGNED CIGARETTES AND AN INTERPOSEDFILTER PLUG, RELATIVELY FIXED, FLEXIBLE